Plaudits for Peaty from former world champion

Adam Peaty celebrates winning the men's 100m breaststroke during day two of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

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ADAM Peaty has earned countless plaudits for his superhuman performances in the pool and former world champion Mark Foster believes the world record holder should get even more.

Peaty’s form since 2014 is staggering – he has amassed a multitude of medals at World, European and Commonwealth championships, and is the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder in the 100m breaststroke.

At just 22-years-old, the Loughborough based swimmer has the world at his feet and can dominate the sport for years to come.

Foster, no stranger to titles himself, was effusive in his praise of Peaty, whom he says is a unique and unstoppable force in the water.

“Adam just goes and rewrites record books,” said Foster, who has six world and 11 European titles to his name.

“I’ve said it before and many other times on TV, no one is going to touch him, barring him getting injured, no one will get close to him. He’s re-written breaststroke.

“He’s one of those people - Michael Phelps was born to do butterfly and Adam was born to do breaststroke.

“I think Adam would get more recognition in any high-profile sport. It’s one of those situations where, being a minority sport, swimming is on TV once, maybe twice a year. You only see him once a year, so how do you get that personality across?

“He is a household name, but he could become a bigger household name. He needs to be on TV more, and I’m sure there will be a documentary about him at some point, because the guy is phenomenal.”

Despite his all-conquering displays in the pool, Peaty is not resting on his laurels, and Foster is confident the world record holder will keep his focus to assert his dominance further.

“The other guys are just looking at him and seeing what he does differently, because he swims differently to everybody else,” added Foster, who was speaking at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, where he was taking part in a tennisathon with club members and fellow Olympian Denise Lewis to raise awareness for SportsAid Week.

“But all of us have a got a best time, and all the time you step on the block you want to do a best time as much as beating everybody else.

“He just has to look at that, although his best time happens to be the world record. He’s always looking to improve.”

• SportsAid Week took place between September 25 and October 1. Please visit www.sportsaid.org.uk/mymiles for more information on the #MyMiles challenge.